This is apropos a Business Recorder editorial "Holding encroachers to account" carried by the newspaper yesterday. First things first, there is no doubt about the fact that the incumbent Chief Justice of Pakistan is a person who even became the Chief Justice had brought under unprecedented focus the challenge of encroachments in Karachi, a city of teeming millions. The newspaper has pointed out, among other things, that "The court's observations on the issue must have resonated widely with the denizens of Karachi and beyond. Directing the Chief Minister to immediately remove the acting DG, the court noted that apparently the SBCA had compromised on rules and pushed Karachi to the brink of a disaster, and that the DG had become a rubberstamp unable to take decisions as per the law. The court also put on notice the owner of a recently-constructed building adjacent to the Benazir Shaheed Park, on being informed that the plot actually was a part of the park. Taking up yet another encroachment case, the court ordered the city Mayor to remove the remaining intrusions into the Kidney Hill Park land and submit a compliance report. The list of irregularities and illegalities goes on and on. It can only be hoped the apex court's intervention will have a sobering effect on the land grabbers and their influential patrons."
I would like to add to newspaper's argument the following fact:
Our authorities need to look at the slums or katchi abadis of this city of about 20 million people. Not only are they required to be regularised or removed through the shifting of the residents to some places in the outskirts of city, they must also have proper access to all civic amenities - water, sewerage, education, healthcare, etc. The authorities must adopt a concrete strategy in relation to city's slums keeping in view the fact that the number of such neighbourhoods is likely to grow because of a variety of reasons.
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